You wouldn't buy a car without comparing prices. Why would you schedule a $10,000 surgery without doing the same? Since 2021, federal law has required every US hospital to publish their prices — and free tools now make it easy to compare costs before you commit to a hospital.
Where to Find Hospital Prices
Hospitals are required to publish their standard charges in machine-readable files and display prices for at least 300 shoppable services on their website. In practice, these raw files are hard to read — they're massive CSV or JSON files with thousands of line items.
That's where price comparison tools come in. MyCareCost collects and standardizes hospital pricing data from 5,000+ hospitals, letting you search by procedure name or CPT code and compare prices at hospitals near you in seconds.
What Numbers Should You Compare?
Hospital pricing files contain several different numbers. Here's what each one means and which ones matter most:
- Gross charge (sticker price) — the hospital's full list price before any discounts. Almost nobody pays this.
- Discounted cash price — what self-pay patients pay. This is the most relevant number for uninsured patients or those with high deductibles.
- Payer-specific negotiated rate — what your specific insurance company has agreed to pay. Most relevant if you've met your deductible.
- De-identified minimum/maximum — the range of negotiated rates across all insurers at that hospital.
Compare Total Cost, Not Just the Procedure Fee
A hospital's listed price for a procedure may not include everything. Surgeon fees, anesthesia, lab work, pathology, and facility fees are often billed separately. When comparing hospitals, ask for a total cost estimate that includes all expected charges.
Request a Good Faith Estimate — hospitals are legally required to provide one to uninsured or self-pay patients within 3 business days. This gives you a single number that includes all expected charges for your procedure.
Tips for Getting the Best Price
Once you've compared prices, use these strategies to lock in the best deal:
- Call the billing department and ask if they can match a lower price you found at another hospital
- Ask about self-pay discounts — many hospitals offer 20–50% off for cash payment
- Consider outpatient facilities for imaging, endoscopy, and minor surgery
- Time non-urgent procedures for early in the year when deductibles reset, or late in the year if you've already met yours
- Ask about bundled pricing — some hospitals offer a single all-inclusive price for common procedures
Use Data to Your Advantage
Hospital price comparison isn't just about finding the cheapest option — it's about negotiating from a position of knowledge. When you know that Hospital A charges $800 for an MRI while Hospital B charges $2,500, you have leverage to negotiate. Most hospitals would rather give you a discount than lose your business entirely.